Pope Leo XIV arrives in Peru on Wednesday, November 11, a country where 76.0% of people aged 12 and over said they were Catholic in the last census, according to the INEI, Peru Sociodemographic Profile, 2017 National Census. That is 17.6 million people. The share fell from 81.3% in 2007, while evangelicals grew (from 12.5% to 14.1%) along with people who profess no religion (from 2.9% to 5.1%).
According to the official schedule published by Andina, the pope leaves Buenos Aires at 2:00 p.m. and lands at 5:30 p.m. at the Callao Air Base; he then has a welcome ceremony at the Government Palace, a visit with President Keiko Fujimori and, at 7:45 p.m., a meeting with authorities and the diplomatic corps at the Gran Teatro Nacional. The visit runs until Monday the 16th; the city-by-city detail is in the pope's day-by-day schedule in Peru. This article uses census data to show how many Catholics there are in Peru and where they live.
View the data as a table
| Catholics | 76.0% |
| Evangelicals | 14.1% |
| Other religion | 4.8% |
| No religion | 5.1% |
How many Catholics there are in Peru
The 2017 census asked people aged 12 and over about their religion. Of 23.2 million, 17.6 million answered Catholic. In absolute terms Catholics grew 4.0% in ten years, but much less than the population, which is why their share fell. Evangelicals grew 25.3%, followers of other religions 64.3% and people with none 94.0%:
View the data as a table
| Catholic | Evangelical | Other religion | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 81 | 13 | 3 | 3 |
| 2017 | 76 | 14 | 5 | 5 |
| Religion | 2007 | 2017 | People in 2017 | Change 2007-2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic | 81.3% | 76.0% | 17,635,339 | +4.0% |
| Evangelical | 12.5% | 14.1% | 3,264,819 | +25.3% |
| Other religion | 3.3% | 4.8% | 1,115,872 | +64.3% |
| None | 2.9% | 5.1% | 1,180,361 | +94.0% |
Source: INEI, Peru Sociodemographic Profile, 2017 National Census. "Other religion" includes Christians, Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Israelites, Buddhists, Jews and Muslims, among others. In 2024, the Constitutional Court found that the 2017 question violated the right to keep one's beliefs private because it offered no option to decline, and the 2025 census did not include a question on religion, according to a column in La República; that is why the 2017 figure is still the latest.
Peru's most Catholic departments
Piura has the highest share of Catholics (84.8%), followed by Arequipa (83.4%), Puno (82.0%) and Ica (81.5%). The least Catholic departments are in the Amazon: Ucayali (58.0%), San Martín (60.3%) and Amazonas (63.9%). Lambayeque, whose capital is Chiclayo, the city where Leo XIV was bishop, stands at 79.6%, above the national average:
| Amazonas | 67.8 | 63.9 | 179,874 |
| Áncash | 83.0 | 76.7 | 652,615 |
| Apurímac | 83.1 | 78.0 | 245,586 |
| Arequipa | 87.2 | 83.4 | 932,142 |
| Ayacucho | 81.1 | 75.6 | 362,165 |
| Cajamarca | 79.9 | 75.4 | 774,428 |
| Callao | 82.4 | 76.0 | 607,399 |
| Cusco | 83.4 | 78.8 | 748,407 |
| Huancavelica | 76.6 | 72.8 | 194,220 |
| Huánuco | 75.2 | 68.0 | 375,083 |
| Ica | 87.4 | 81.5 | 539,790 |
| Junín | 79.3 | 74.1 | 718,465 |
| La Libertad | 76.1 | 68.3 | 941,814 |
| Lambayeque | 84.6 | 79.6 | 744,958 |
| Lima | 83.1 | 77.0 | 5,995,692 |
| Loreto | 72.9 | 67.3 | 419,438 |
| Madre de Dios | 78.5 | 70.6 | 74,443 |
| Moquegua | 85.4 | 80.6 | 114,676 |
| Pasco | 74.2 | 66.9 | 131,701 |
| Piura | 88.7 | 84.8 | 1,196,169 |
| Puno | 81.8 | 82.0 | 774,536 |
| San Martín | 65.8 | 60.3 | 366,581 |
| Tacna | 80.6 | 75.7 | 203,754 |
| Tumbes | 84.0 | 78.4 | 134,380 |
| Ucayali | 65.2 | 58.0 | 207,023 |
Source: INEI, Peru Sociodemographic Profile, 2017 National Census. Lima includes Lima province (76.7%) and the Lima region (80.5%). The only department where the share of Catholics rose between 2007 and 2017 was Puno, from 81.8% to 82.0%. In absolute numbers, Catholics grew most in Arequipa (+16.9%), Madre de Dios (+15.9%) and Ica (+12.2%), and fell in Huancavelica (-18.8%), Pasco (-15.1%) and Huánuco (-7.5%).
Leo XIV and Peru
Robert Prevost, Leo XIV's birth name, lived and worked in Peru for years as an Augustinian missionary and was bishop of Chiclayo before being called to Rome, which gives the visit the feel of a homecoming. According to the Peruvian press, besides Lima, the program includes masses in the north of the country, in Lambayeque, one of the most Catholic departments. The trip follows his stop in Argentina, which ended with a mass in Luján (the pope's schedule in Argentina).
| Time (Peru) | Activity on Wednesday, November 11 |
|---|---|
| 14:00 | Departure from Buenos Aires (Argentina local time) |
| 17:30 | Arrival at Callao Air Base and official welcome |
| 18:15 | Transfer to the Government Palace |
| 18:45 | Visit with President Keiko Fujimori |
| 19:45 | Meeting with authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps at the Gran Teatro Nacional |
Source: Andina, official schedule.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of Peruvians are Catholic?
76.0% of people aged 12 and over, according to INEI's 2017 census: 17.6 million people.
Which is Peru's most Catholic department?
Piura, at 84.8%, followed by Arequipa (83.4%) and Puno (82.0%).
How many evangelicals are there in Peru?
3.3 million, 14.1% of people aged 12 and over in 2017, up from 12.5% in 2007.
When does the pope arrive in Peru?
On Wednesday, November 11, 2026 at 5:30 p.m., at Callao Air Base. He stays until Monday the 16th.
